Chhurpi

Chhurpi is a dried smoked cheese eaten in the Eastern Himalayas. The Sherpas call it sherkam. It is called durukowa or durukho in Bhutan (in Dzongkha language). Chhurpi is made from the milk of a yak or chauri (a hybrid of yak and cattle). Both types are hard. It is prepared in a local dairy or at home from a material extracted out of buttermilk called sergem . The sergem is wrapped in cloth, usually jute bags, and pressed hard to get rid of water. Then, it dries out and becomes similar to cheese. Finally, in this cheese-like stage; it is cut into pieces, and hung over the smoke to make it stone hard.